Knockdown shelving.



H. A. MUFARLANE. KNOGKDOWN SHELVING. APPLIUATION :FILED 00T. a, 1910.

Patented Sept. 12, 1911.

H. A. MOFARLANE. KNOGKDOWN SHELVING.

APPLICATIQN FILED 00T. a. 1910.

Patea sept. 12,1911.

a SHEETS-11111211111.

Inventor Witnesses At-torneys `H. A. MQFARLANE. KNQCKDOWN SHELVING. APPLIUATION rILEnoc'lj. 3, 1910.

Patented sept. 12,1911.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

A ,d Inventor UNITED sTArpsgrENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. MQFARLANE, or corn sr. PAUL, 'ounnntu cAwAm KNDCKD OWN SHELVING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1911.

Application filed October 3, 1310. Serial No. 585,039.

To all whom 'it ma/ycomem:

Be it known that l, HENRY A.. MUFAR- LANE, a subject of the King ci? England, residing at Cte St. Paul, in the Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Knockdown Shelving; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable tains to make and use the same.

The invention to be hereinafter described relates to knockdown furniture, and more particularly to collapsible shelving.

Broadly speaking, it comprises a plurality of notched hubs or bars, socket plates secured to the hubs, and a plurality of shell" members provided with pins or the like to engage the socket plates to couple the hubs and shelf members together.

In order to .more clearly disclose the construction, operation and use of the inven ticnreference should be had to the accom* panying drawings forming part of the pres-l ent application.

f Throughout `the several figures of the drawings, like reference characters designate the same parts.

In the drawings: Figure l is a perspective view of a complete socket member, detached; Fig. 2 is a perspective of one socket plate; Fig. 3 is a perspective o''a cooperating interlocking socket plate; Fig. 4 lis a perspective of the notched hub; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view showing a hub and socket members assembled with an upper end piece in the sockets and a lower end piece about to be inserted; Fig. 6 is a perspective of a backl piece; Fig. 7 is a perspective of a bottom board; Fig. 8 is a perspective of end piece; Fig. 9 is a perspective of a set of shelves or cases, partly knocked down; Fig. l0 is a perspective of the preferred: form of socket plate; Figs. 11 and 12 are views simi lar to Figs. 4t and 5 respectively, but show ing a slightly modified form; and Fig. 13 is' a, perspective view of the modified form, applied.

The main object of the invention is to provide an extensible knockdown shelving of very simple and very economical construction, which may be set up quickly and easily in practically1 any available iioor space. The construction is especially adapted for-'use by retailing houses of the others skilled in the art to which it apperan l general mercantile class, though it may be equally woll used for many other purposes.

In the preferred form oit the invent-icm, hubs or connecting hars l are provided.- These bars are rectangular in cross section, or, at least, are -toi-med with portions which. are rectangular in cross section. These portions are provided with a not-eh 2 in. each face. .A socket member 3 comprising interlocked slot-ted plates fl: secured, bywscrews or the like, about each of the rectangular portions of the bar 1. The slot of each of the plates Il is much narrower than the notches 2 of the bar 1.' `When the socketme-mber is in position about the rectanglslar portion of the bar l, the slots in the plates i will lie directly above the notches in the bar l, so that the edges of each plate-adje. nt its slot will project iroin the edges or' corresponding notch 2 toward its center', shown 1n Fig. 5. When the socket ine cast or otherwise formed in a singin i l is provided with parallel flanges 5 enter at right angles to each face. WVhen it `formed of a plurality of interlocked plrV each plate is made of suitlicient width to tend a slight distance beyond its coperat ing` plates, thus forming therewith ilanges,

'or the like. It willV be noticed that the slots lie between the flanges when the plates are g assembled. Bottom boards G and end pieces 7 completo the shelving. The bottom boards and end pieces are each provided lfb headed pins 8. In assembling.' the the heads of these pins are iilacm i exposed ends of the notches 2, sc that Shanks of the pins are in alinement with the slots of the plat/ese. Ther. the bottom boa-rds and end pieces are slid back tratti. the pin Shanks reach the ends et the st In the preferred form of the pi.. e hole slot is provided, as shown instead of the straight slot. Th slot provides a much stronger liable plate. The end 4pieces are with notches 9, over which ai .fitted plates 1U, similar to the 'g 4. notches are adapted. to receive he. 11 projecting from the edges or. pieces 12.

When assembled, a single back piece :tor each tier4 of compartments, and placed about the center off each tier, will brace the entire structure. Oli course, all compartments may be providral with backs, 'if dcmore. ro provided 0 slotted end pieces and bottom board after the shelving has been assembled, each hub or bar is provided with a projecting threaded rod 13, upon which. may be secured a nut or disk 14; of sullicient size to extend slightly beyond the l'accs of the bar 1 and overlap thc adjacent edges of the end lpieces and bottom boards. lonsequently, when the nuts are screwed down, the separable parts of the sl'lelringwill be securely locked together, as a unit.

A somewhat simpler construction and one yparticularly adapted for light or medium shelving is shown in Figs. 11 to 13. In place of the flanged socket member a simple fcrrulc 15 is provided. This .ferrule is adapted to fit the bar or hub 1 in the same way that the socket 3 fits thereabout. The faces of the ferrule are slotted just as the plates /1 of the socket 3 are slotted, and for the same purpose. The slots of the ferrule lie above the notches 2 ofthe bars 1, just as the slots of the plates do and the projecting edges or Walls of the slots coperate v With the holding pins 8 in the same manner. In this simplified form the threaded pin 13 and nut 14 are omitted and a simple spring actuated button 16 is substituted. This button is seated in a suitable socket 17 which is let into a recess in the member to be connected'to the ferrule. The button is so positioned that it Will risc just behind therear edge of the front ferrule when the Shanks of the connecting pins 8 have reached the rear ends of theA slots in the ferrules. The tension of the-spring, of course, holds the button in the path of the rear edge of the ferrule and so prevents'aceidental rearward movement thereof. However, the` head of the button is beveled or rounded so that, by pushing rearwardly with suhicient force, the button'may be depressed to inoperative position and the bar l, with its ferrules, moved rearwardly, though such accidental movementfis impossible. L

rdiiiarily, Athis shelving\'vill be manu factured in a series of standard sizes, all parts being interchangeable. j-However, it is clear .that any desired sizes may be made to order and put together according to the above description. y I

It is thought thatltheofperat-ion and use of the invention Will be clear from the preceding detailed description.

Changes may be made inthe construction, arrangement and disposition of the several parts ofthc invention, -Wi'thout in any Way depart-ing from the field and scope of the same, and it is meant to include all such Within this application, wherein. only a preferred form has been disclosed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure Letters Patent is:

1. Shelving of the character described, comprising notched hub pieces, slotted socket members adapted-to be secured to said hub pieces, and shelf sections or members provided With headed pins adapted to be received by the slots of the socket members to couple the shelt'sections or members to the hub pieces. I

2. Shelving of the character described, comprising. notched hub pieces, slotted socket members adapted to be secured to said hub pieces, shelf sections or members provided with headed vpins vadapted to be received by the slots of the socket members to couple the shelf. sections or members to the hub pieces, and means for holding the shelf sections or members against longitudinal movement relatively to the hub pieces.

Shelving ofthe character described, comprising notched hub pieces, slotted socket members adapted. `to be secured to :said huby pieces, shelf sections or members provided `wiith headed pins adapted to be received by the slots of the socket members .to couple the hub pieces and shelf sections or members together, threaded rods projee/ting from the hub pieces, and nuts. adapted to be turned down upon the=rods to engage the edges of the shelfsection. or members.

l1. Shelving of the character described, comprising shelf sections or members adapt ed to be connected end-toend, hub pieces interposed. between t-headjacent ends of said shelf sections or members, andA means for connecting said shelf sections or members to said hub pieces.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

HENRYA. MGFARLANE.

. VVitnesses: i i

W. S. BABCOCK,

L. A. GAUvIN. 

